Trudy Knows Best
by flyintherightdirection
Summary: Things don't happen in the 21st District without Sergeant Trudy Platt knowing. And lately she had started to notice something unexpected happening. A love affair was blooming upstairs in the Intelligence Unit. Just not one that anyone had ever expected. Or 5 times Trudy Platt notices Halstead and Burgess falling for each other plus one time they finally noticed it themselves.
1. Unexpected Revelations

_**Post Season 6 Episode 10 "Brotherhood" (in which Jay stumbles upon Upsek)**_

**Trudy POV**

Things never happened in the 21st District without Sergeant Trudy Platt knowing about them. On the rare occasion that something did get past her, it wasn't long before she found out.

And her attention had been pulled to the stairwell that led to the Intelligence Unit all night, but she wasn't sure why.

Which was why, when a call came in requesting more information on a case from Intelligence, she figured it was a perfect excuse to head up there and see what was going on.

Trudy scanned her fingerprint into the Intelligence gate and let herself up the stairs.

Dawson was half asleep at his desk but she knew that Burgess and Halstead were still there. Maybe it wasn't part of her job to know where the members of Intelligence were all the time, but she worked better when she knew who was safe upstairs and who was in the field. And Kim and Jay hadn't left for the night yet.

But they weren't in the bullpen and there was no more evidence to book.

She got her answer when she called out a hello just to shake the room awake.

She had to stop herself raising her eyebrows at the sight of the detective and officer walking out of the corridor _together_. Never mind the fact that Kim was trying to straighten her hair and, she scoffed to herself, was Jay Halstead _blushing?_

"Hi Sarge." Kim greeted in her usual bright way as if the scene hadn't unfolded the way it had and Trudy decided to play along.

She passed along the information that was required and told them all that she was heading home for the night soon.

She didn't miss the smile that Halstead sent Burgess as she was leaving.

This was certainly a turn up for the books.

Had Trudy anticipated something happening between the pair? No

But was she all that surprised as she let herself back down the stairs? Not particularly, the more she thought about it.

But really, she frowned in disapproval, making the new patrol recruit veer out of her way as she walked back to her desk, it was just distasteful to be sneaking around at work.

It must be new, she decided, and she didn't want to pounce on them too quickly. In her years of observing police officers she knew things happened and then fizzled out just as quick.

But Burgess and Halstead were not just run of the mill police to her.

Trudy shut down her computer and made a note to follow those two like a hawk.

She would deny it until blue in the face, but Trudy Platt cared about them and she didn't want to see either one get hurt. She'd keep an eye on them and see how it all played out.

Afterall, it was her station, nothing could happen without her say so.

* * *

**Jay POV**

Jay can see Kim Burgess from where he sits at his desk in the bullpen.

With the new seating arrangement, it had become habitual. They'd catch each other's eye by accident or share a smile at the antics of their team or sometimes in the bad cases, check to see how someone else was feeling without having to talk about it.

But tonight, after what he had stumbled upon earlier, he just can't focus on anything but her.

The new-found information was weighing on him. Knowing that it would be hard for her when it finally came to light.

He sighed and tried, in vain, to refocus on the computer screen in front of him.

At least when Erin had left, he could have a clean break. Sure, they kept in sporadic contact, but he didn't have to know about her love life. Not that his behaviour after she left had been exactly clean cut but still.

Kim had to work with Adam every day. And now he was at the very least sleeping with their colleague, their friend. There was no getting away from _that_. Not when they all worked in such close quarters.

He wished that she didn't have to know.

But it was nagging at him, pulling at his gut. He couldn't just let her stumble upon the situation.

And therein lay the problem, he didn't know how to tell her, or completely convince himself to tell her.

Yeah, Kim and Adam and both moved on but news like that was bound to hurt old wounds.

He stretched his arms, trying to release some of the tension in his shoulders from his current dilemma.

"Long night, right?" Antonio piped up, mid-yawn, from where he sat across from Jay

The older detective was the only other occupant of the room. Everyone else had long gone home, but they were still here, catching up on paperwork and research for cases.

Jay normally didn't mind, it beat being at home alone, but tonight he had too many thoughts wrangling around his head.

"You can say that again man." Jay gave him a half smile.

Kim joined in their lament with a long sigh. "I need more coffee." She declared before standing up and making her way to the break room beside Voight's empty office.

Antonio went back to the paperwork in front of him and Jay tried to do the same.

But Kim had smiled at him as she had walked by.

And he didn't want to ruin her happiness.

He stared hopelessly at the files lying in front of him, there was no chance of him getting any work done tonight.

He could hear Kim humming a tune as she stirred her coffee.

Jay had always admired Kim Burgess. She was good police. Trustworthy. Hardworking.

Were they particularly close?

No, if he was being honest.

But he knew if push came to shove, he could rely on her to have his back one hundred percent.

They were solid.

They were part of the team and that meant they were family.

And she was a good person. He liked her.

They just didn't hang out much outside unit life. Not that either of them had much free time anyway.

So he had never noticed before tonight that they weren't _close_, until he felt that he had to break the news to her.

"How do you survive so long without coffee?" She teased him with a grin as she passed by on the short walk back to her desk.

He couldn't help but smile back.

From their seats, they had started noticing certain things about the other. They had worked out that she drank two cups of coffee for every one cup he drank and they laughed about it.

It was nice to make small talk and joke about the simple things when they dealt with such tough cases and situations on a daily basis.

But before then he had never really _noticed_ Kim. Sure, she was his colleague and someone he trusted but he didn't really _know_ her.

But now there were things he noticed about her.

She never liked to sit at her desk for too long.

She wore blue regularly and they were the coloured pens she used the most.

She kept her desk tidy, all her files were kept in a neat bundle at the side.

She tapped her pen when she was thinking.

And just like tonight, she often caught his eye and gave him a secret smile.

He couldn't keep his attention away from her since they had closed the case. Ever since he heard the conversation between Hailey and Adam, really.

Was he blindsided by what he had overheard? Hell yeah.

He was turning it over and over in his head like information for a case that could cause more harm than good. He still didn't know if he wanted Kim to know, but he felt like she deserved to.

And she didn't know. Of that he was certain.

And it wasn't something concrete he could put his finger on, but he could just feel it. He had known her long enough to read her. Heck, it was part of their jobs to read each other's body language. But she was too…care-free?

And then he had wondered if the rest of the unit was protecting her from the information. But he wasn't a detective for nothing, he put out feelers with Kevin and Antonio, hell he even bought Platt coffee and asked vague questions about Adam and Kim. (Platt had given him weirder looks than he was used to) but the rest of unit didn't know either.

She didn't know and he didn't know if he should tell her.

He'd want to be told.

His screen had gone dark from lack of use and he was staring at his own reflection. Sighing, he dragged himself to his feet. He had to tell her, but he didn't know how to say that her ex-fiancé was, at the very least, sleeping with his partner.

And they had both been left in the dark about it all.

"Hey Kim." He said, grabbing a random file from his desk and walking over. The room was dark and Antonio was now half-asleep writing out what looked like a statement on a case.

She looked up at him when he stopped at his desk.

Ok, so maybe he hadn't always _not noticed_ Kim Burgess.

It was her big doe eyes that always got him. She was, objectively, a beautiful woman.

Her eyes were full of light in the dark room.

"Yeah?" She looked up from her own paperwork, pen instantly poised for any new information or help he needed.

He just _felt _awkward, scratched the back of his neck, shuffled his feet and suddenly he could feel her reading him.

What could he say, the Intelligence Unit was nothing if not a good team and good at reading each other.

So how the Hailey and Adam situation got away from them, he didn't know.

"I…eh…can I have a minute?" He nodded to the hallway behind her desk leading to the interrogation rooms.

"Sure." She said instantly decisive, standing up and following him down the hallway.

"What's up?" She asked when he stops halfway and looks at her. He sneaks a look in both directions to make sure they weren't being overheard.

"Look Kim, I got something I have to tell you…"

Her whole demeanour shifted, as if sensing his apprehension.

"Is it about the case earlier?"

"No." He shook his head. "It's…well I overheard something today and I think you should know. I'm not even sure what that something _is_ really but…"

"Yeah?"

He took a breath. "Adam and Hailey, I think they're…_together_."

The silence and stunned look on her face last long enough for Jay to start feeling sick to his stomach.

"What?" She eventually asked, trying to inject some light laughter into her voice as if she was waiting for the punchline to a joke.

"I don't know what's going on between the two of them exactly, but they're together I'm sure."

"No." She almost spat.

"I'm sorry Kim."

She ran a hand through her hair, "No, it's not your fault. Thank you. For telling me." She said in short breaths, looking him in the eye before turning away and then back again as if she was suddenly a cage animal.

"I can't believe this." She almost whispered to him in the empty corridor.

"I just didn't want you finding out about this the wrong way, not that there's a good way…" He trails off, "I only found this morning. I was shocked too. I never seen it coming."

Her eyes danced around as if searching for answers to the questions that haven't even formed yet. There was so much they didn't know.

"Seriously though? Are they sleeping together? Are they in love?"

Jay shrugged his shoulders helplessly, "I honestly don't know. They were having an argument, but their words were clear enough, they care about each other and I walked in on them…I didn't ask anymore."

He watched as she desperately ran her hands through her hair again before sighing and leaning back against the metal cabinets along the wall.

"Are you okay?" He asked, almost desperately wanting her to be alright.

"Yeah. I mean I will be, I guess. It's just a shock." She said. "It's just…I mean me and Adam, we've been over a long time and it's not like we'll ever get back together I just…Hailey? We're a small team. It's…well not awkward…not ideal…it will just take some adjusting to it."

"Well if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thank you, Jay." She spoke with such sincerity that it eases the tension about his decision to tell her. But he's left with a dull ache in his chest at lost look in her eyes.

He wouldn't call it pain as such, but something like loss, like desperately trying to solve a problem that was never a problem before.

"I'd prefer if they told me really." She admitted, her body slackening after the shock.

"Yeah." Jay nodded before leaning up against the cabinet beside her.

"I wonder how long this has been going on for…"

"I don't know."

"I mean…" She started, before wrapping her arms around herself, "I don't want to get back together with him. But this is just going to be…uncomfortable?"

He nodded in understanding. "Not that I was engaged to Erin, but if she came back and started sneaking around with Dawson or Atwater, yeah it would feel…weird."

"You were as good as engaged." She defended his relationship softly, which he appreciated. "And it wasn't like my engagement was that important…it didn't lead to anything."

Jay shook his head, "No. No don't say that, it was important to you. Like Erin was to me. Somethings just don't ever really go away."

"It's like old scars, I forget it ever happened half the time but there's always reminders."

"Exactly." He gave her a half smile. It was nice to have someone to finally relate to.

They stayed in silence for a while, not uncomfortable, but heavy enough to protect them from the outside world and failed past relationships.

He could feel her looking at him eventually. "Thanks Jay, for having my back."

He turns his head to meet her eyes and shrugs, "We're a team. It's what we do."

She shook her head, "You didn't have to tell me. I could have just walked in on them someday."

"I mean I just thought…I'd want to know." He sighed.

"When did love get so complicated?" She asked with a scoff.

"I have no idea. But it sucks." He gave her a lopsided smile.

"Adam and Hailey…" She said, letting the words, the concept, hang in the air.

"Your sister will probably have something to say about the sneaking around right?"

The comment, and possibly the memory of Kim's sister snarky remark to Adam about their engagement and ending thereof, drew a happy laugh from Burgess.

"Oh yeah, I'll have to catch her up." She smiled to herself.

"How is your sister doing these days?" He asked carefully, kicking himself for not asking more.

"Good days and bad. She's strong though. And it's starting to look like there are more good than bad recently so it's alright."

"Good." Jay said.

Silence formed between them, but Jay didn't find it uncomfortable. And he didn't want to leave her alone yet.

"Hello?" The sound of Sergeant Platt's voice rang through the upstairs and Jay could feel Kim jump in slight shock like he had. He had forgot they were still in work.

"Better see what that's about." He said, standing up straight.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned around to face her.

He didn't know who was more surprised when she hugged him, leaning up to wrap her arms around his neck before quickly pulling away too. "Thank you, really."

"Anytime Kim." He finally found words as he followed her back to the desks, leaving him with the slightly startling realisation that among everything else, he noticed that Kim Burgess was stronger and smarter than he had given her credit for.

And that she gave great hugs.

* * *

_**Author Note:** So this is my first story for Chicago PD and I never expected to be writing about Burgess and Halstead but here we are._

_Disclaimer that Burzek is my OTP, but I was re-watching the second half of Season 6 when Upsek was a thing and it just got me thinking that Jay and Kim didn't have many scenes together…so I thought I'd fix that._

_This couple is growing on me now…send help. 😊_


	2. Friendly Hideout

**Set after Season 6 Episode 14 "Ties that Bind."**

* * *

**Trudy POV**

Trudy had always liked Molly's. But sometimes, when she wanted a quiet drink and some time alone with Randy, it paid off to visit the bar just down the block from the 21st District.

And the best part? It was so close to the District that none of the police ever frequented, something else she valued after a long day.

Therefore, she was shocked, something that rarely happens anymore, when Kim and Jay walked in together.

She momentarily gazed over Randy's shoulder to watch them both take seats at the end of the bar.

So, the other night wasn't a one off. It looked to Trudy like this was a _date._

A private one, considering they weren't at Molly's. Maybe whatever was between them was on a trial basis.

Really, she wouldn't blame them for taking things slow and cautious, not after they had both been badly burnt before with their previous relationships with their other colleagues.

They looked very cosy together, smiling and laughing and in their own bubble.

She started going over their recent interactions in her head as if she was gathering and collating evidence for a case. Nothing stood out that would point to them becoming a couple, but she thought by the looks of things, it was happening before her eyes.

* * *

**Kim POV**

It was inevitable.

That Kim would eventually find out directly about Adam and Hailey. The district was not that big, secrets didn't stay secrets for too long.

Kim had just thought that her ex-fiancé and work colleague would tell her themselves without her having to walk in on them.

She was glad that Jay had given her a heads up. She just wished Adam and Hailey had told her before.

But oddly enough Kim felt fine about it now.

After they day she had had and after having a proper conversation with Hailey, she could let it go.

But it was still weird when Hailey got a message from of Adam and Kim had told her to go.

It felt oddly like if her new best friend was dating her brother. She was, in fact, happy for them, but really, _really,_ didn't need to know the details.

Voight was in his office when she made it to the bullpen, and she knew Antonio and Kevin were leaning on a CI for a potential next case and with Adam and Hailey gone home it left just Jay in the room.

Kim slumped into her chair, the effects of the day were only catching up with her now. It had been a _long_ day.

She didn't know how long she sat there, resting her head in her hand and staring aimlessly at her computer screen that she had turned off earlier. She just didn't want to go home yet. Not when she would be alone with her own thoughts.

"Hey Kim." Jay Halstead appeared beside her, leaning back against her desk beside her. He looked as beat as she was feeling.

"Hey Jay." She tried to give him a tired smile.

He ran a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, before speaking, "Look Kim, I'm really sorry about today, I shouldn't have let you out with them alone and I…"

"Jay. Stop. You don't need to apologise."

"No, Kim, I made the wrong call and you could have been seriously hurt."

"_Jay_, there were a million different ways that case could have gone south. You made the best decision you could. And we're all home safe, that's the important part, right?"

He nodded looking off into the distance before looking back at her and taking a breath before he spoke.

"Do you want to get out of here? Want to get a drink?"

"You know what?" She said, already rolling her chair away from her desk. "I would love that."

"Great." He smiled, taking off his badge that hung almost permanently around his neck, "I'll just grab my stuff."

Kim smiled back as he made his way back to his desk and then she realised she had never hung out with Jay alone before. The opportunity had just never arisen and now she wished it had before.

She packed her bag before knocking on Voight's door and letting herself in.

"Hey Serge, I'm just heading home, you said to check in before I left."

"Yeah, are you okay? You need a ride home or a home check?" Voight asked, looking up at her as if trying to assess her current condition after the day from hell. Her Sergeant was a lot of things, but protecting his team was always his top priority.

"No, thanks though. I'm meeting up with some friends, take my mind off today hopefully."

"Good. Take care of yourself Kim. Have a good night."

She nodded before letting herself back out and met Jay who had just shrugged his jacket on.

"Molly's?" He asked.

She hesitated for a second too long. She hadn't thought of that, suddenly the possibility of having to hang out with Adam and Hailey while they were on a date didn't seem all that appealing.

She didn't mind them dating really, but she didn't want to see them as a happy couple while she wallowed with a work friend. The day had been hard enough already.

Hailey had Adam to run for her after the kidnapping. And she was feeling the sudden realisation that there was a void of someone to run for her in her life. And she would be lying to herself if she said it didn't hurt.

Jay glanced at Hailey's desk, "Want to go somewhere else?" He asked with a soft smile and kind eyes.

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all, I know a good place."

And that was how Kim Burgess found herself at a bar alone with Jay Halstead, hiding out from the world.

Finding herself in the situation she was suddenly terrified that there would just be an awkward conversation of vaguely friendly work colleagues and they'd have to politely give up on the social interaction and go home after one drink.

What she hadn't expected was the fact that they were two drinks, 3 and half hours and multiple stories deep into the night and she had almost forgotten about the day she had had.

"You're not serious?" She laughed at his story.

"I am!" He replied with such earnest laughter that made her believe him.

She liked this side of Jay Halstead. The side that let his guard down gradually, let his smiles reach his eyes and with his focus on her instead of darting around focusing on a case.

Not that she didn't appreciate his work side. He was hardworking and utterly dependable and had kept his good heart through all the dark side of Chicago and humanity they encountered on a daily basis.

It was when she stifled a yawn that Jay finished his drink, "Do you want to head on home? You've had a long day."

"Yeah." She nodded, "I might do that. But I needed this. Thank you."

"Come on, I'll get you a cab." He said, after she had finished her drink and he had finished his story.

"No, it's fine, I only live like two blocks over." She explained.

He raised his eyebrows with a grin, "What? Do you_ live_ in Intelligence?"

She laughed, "You know sometimes it feels like that. But I had to move a while ago, the landlord didn't give me much time so I had to find something quick and living closer to work seemed like a good idea. I just didn't realise _how_ close I was."

She pulled on her coat and Jay paid for their drinks even though she objected that he didn't owe her for the events of the day. But he just shrugged, telling her that she could pay next time.

Kim was surprised with the sudden feeling of warmth that spread through her at the idea of having another night with Jay. Though the night had been one of the best she had had in a long time.

The bar was dimly light was had filled more than Kim had expected, so they moved towards the door and Kim expected him to call that cab for himself.

"Nah, you're only a little bit away, I'll walk you." He explained.

"You don't have to keep trying to protect me after today, you know?" She pointed out as they fell into step together and started to walk under the clear night sky.

Jay scoffed, "As if you need protecting. You're one of the strongest people I know." She happily let the compliment sink in as he shrugged, "But it's always nice to have backup, like partners."

"Are you going to be one to tell Voight to reorganise his team to make us partners?" She joked.

Jay threw his head back in a laugh, "I know way better than to tell Voight to do anything. Even if we're not partners, we're friends right?"

"Hell yeah." She nodded, after years of working in Intelligence they were more like family by default but she had liked to get know Jay as a friend lately. "You're not too bad, Halstead."

He knocked his shoulder into hers, smiling, "You're not bad yourself Burgess."

* * *

Author's Note: I know nothing about writing for Chicago PD and I honestly didn't expect anyone to be interested in this story so I'm so glad people are enjoying this! Burstead is very quickly growing on me! Thanks for reading :)


	3. Late Night Partners

**Trudy POV**

Jay and Kim were upstairs alone.

Trudy watched the Intelligence gate like a hawk, and maybe, _maybe_, was a bit too snappy with the new recruit of the week as a result.

But she had gotten the message off Voight last night.

"_Halstead and Burgess on stakeout." _

He wasn't a man of many words when it came to work but he was to the point, one of the things she appreciated when working with him. She appreciated the unspoken agreement that he would keep her in the loop. Even if Intelligence was his unit, they lived in her house. And she knew that he knew that she cared.

When she had gotten to work fifteen minutes ago, dealing with the sub-par night Desk Sergeant that had been on duty and adding more paperwork to her pile, she had noted that all of Intelligence's cars were in the lot out back. Which meant Halstead and Burgess were back.

And none of the other Intelligence members were in yet. It was still early.

Far too early to be dealing with the recruit and with all the paperwork from the night before that was giving her a headache in record time.

Which was why she was taking a breather and walking up to Intelligence to deliver case notes, if anyone asked.

Really, she was hoping to separate the pair, maybe catch Halstead in the corridor or corner Burgess in the locker room and find out what the hell was going on.

Work romantic flings meant complications in their line of work.

And Trudy, and Voight, needed to know about complications to make the right decision for the team.

She also didn't want to see either party get hurt.

Trudy approached the bullpen with slight apprehension but found no one there.

Trying to keep up her façade of doing actual work, she made her way to Voight's office to drop off the files. Halfway across the room she heard the gate open behind her and she looked back to see Kevin Atwater coming for work.

"Hey Serge. Good morning."

Usually, but like hell would she admit it, she was always happy to see Atwater. She didn't like to play favourites wither her patrol units, but Atwater and Burgess had been top of her list. This morning though, he was getting in her way of an investigation of her own.

Giving up, she turned and greeted him like every other morning. He left his jacket at his desk, called a greeting back to Halstead who had heard a voice and appeared in the doorway of the break room before heading back in. Burgess' voice came through in a greeting too.

Suspects located.

Trudy felt like rubbing her temples, her cover was blown. Kevin made his way by her before stopping and turning back to ask about a case that he was working on.

Trudy could have kissed the man. She could now look over his shoulder while he talked and get a perfect view into the break room, and right onto Halstead and Burgess.

She had to hold a straight face as Jay made coffee for the pair, sat down at the table, handed Kim her mug _and she drank it._

Burgess was notoriously particular with her coffee. On the _very _rare occasion, after particularly bad cases when Trudy would make coffee for them, Kim would move the mug around but not drink it.

And yet there she was, drinking the coffee. Things were getting serious between them.

Trudy could see spot the signs of an all-night stakeout anywhere and they were obvious in the dark circles under Jay's eyes and the slack way Kim lay her head in her hand while they talked in low tones.

What caught Trudy's eye the most though was the contented smile on Kim's face. Something that Trudy hadn't seen since her early days with Ruzek.

Like she was happy again.

Like she had let down those walls of hers and let someone in again.

Trudy decided as she answered Kevin's questions that she didn't need to go full on interrogation with Kim to find out what was happening. It was evident in the scene before her.

In the ease of their interaction, in the way that Jay never took his eyes off her, in the way Kim laughed.

Her verdict on the case? Burgess and Halstead were a good couple. This wasn't just a fling. This was serious.

* * *

**Jay's POV (The night before)**

There were only three photos on the evidence board behind Jay's desk, with little or no evidence and only theorised connections.

It wasn't looking good.

The team had spent the past fortnight trying to establish motives and connections between a seemingly clean-cut millionaire and the murder of a young gangbanger.

So far, nothing.

Nothing that could form a case that would stand in front of a judge, but enough to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouths.

They had tried everything, squeezing the suspect's employees, bombarding their CI's for information, Voight had even paid the millionaire a visit to try and rattle him and they came up with nothing. It had given everyone a headache.

Voight sighed in defeat, a rare occurrence, that signalled to Jay that this case was on it's way to being one of their equally rare unsolved cases.

"Alright, so we got absolutely nothing, that's what you're telling me?" The Sergeant asked, devoid of patience.

The team looked at each other tensely with a few exasperated sighs thrown in, Jay's own included.

"Afraid so, Serge." Kevin spoke for the group.

But the case felt like a thorn in Jay's side. The kid who had been murdered had turned his life around after getting out of juvie. Jay wanted justice, he didn't want to give up so soon, for the case to be closed so easily.

"Why don't we go old school, sit on him until he slips up. It'll happen eventually." Jay suggested.

"But it would have to be in-house." Hailey argued. Jay looked at his partner, she was right, the connections the suspect had were far reaching and they couldn't let any other unit in on the operation.

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "So, we sit on him." He reiterated, not seeing the problem.

Ruzek shuffled his feet and glanced quickly at the clock, making Jay do the same. It was then that it clicked, Hailey had mentioned going to meet Ruzek's family that night, and it was already 8.45pm.

That meant that they would, really, rather her _not_ having to go on some all-night stakeout with Jay.

Jay briefly consulted his computer screen to check the day.

It was a Friday.

He had lost track of time, it wasn't like he had much of a life outside of the unit anymore. And with the way that Kevin and Antonio were avoiding his gaze, he assumed they both had plans for a nice Friday night too.

"I can do this solo boss. I mean it is a long shot and there's no point in everyone doing extra hours for nothing." Jay tried to cover for his partner.

Voight shook his head, "No, you need backup if things start kicking off."

The silence from his partner, his team, were deafening for the half a second it lasted until Burgess spoke, "I'll go."

Voight nodded, "Good. Okay. Jay, Kim, you two get set up. The rest of you clear out and go home. There's nothing else we can do right now." He paused, looking directly at Jay. "This probably won't turn anything up."

He was warning him to not get his hopes up but Jay knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least _try._

"I know." He told Voight.

His Sergeant just nodded and left Kim and Jay to get set up.

* * *

And that was how Jay found himself along in his car parked in an upcoming area, alone, with Kim Burgess. For the years they had been on the same team but they rarely got to work together as their own team, never really got to bounce off each other in undercover operations or slog through case files together.

"Thanks for this Kim."

"Are you kidding? What better way is there to spend a Friday night?" She smirked at him before breaking into one of her smiles that could always light up whatever room she was in.

"Molly's probably packed right now." What he'd give for a cold beer.

Kim shrugged, "I do love that place and the people but sometimes it gets a bit…claustrophobic. That's why I liked that place we went to, sometimes it's nice to get away from it all."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "Yeah it is." He was going to suggest they go again together before Kim spoke up.

"And there he is." She said, leaning close to Jay to get a photo of the suspect entering his house on the long lens.

The smell of her perfume blindsided him for a second before he recorded the time in the log, "Suspect is entering the building, 9.58pm."

It was only with the few seconds after the fact, in silence, as Kim checked the photos, that Jay was glad he hadn't brought the bar up again. He didn't want her to think he was making a move on her.

He wasn't. It wouldn't be a _date_. He just genuinely had enjoyed hanging out with her.

He didn't want to disrupt what he liked to think of as their newfound friendship.

_But that_ didn't stop the sudden images that filtered through his mind of what it _would _be like to date Kim. Her bright smiles directed at him. The ease they had with each other, but the total trust too. Nights out together. Eyes locking crossing the Bullpen. Walking home together to a place they could call home.

"And now we wait?" Kim asked, sitting back in her seat, and interrupting his snowballing train of thought. He refocused on the case, pushing all shifting perceptions about Kim from his head.

Or as much as he could when he was sitting beside him.

"And now we wait." He said.

* * *

"1.05am. Lights on in the downstairs window." Jay recorded, stifling a yawn. He had never particularly liked stakeouts.

"Ah, sounds like you need the backup coffee." Kim said, leaning back to rummage in the backseat.

"Coffee?" He asked, perking up.

"In her roundabout way, it was one of the things that Trudy gave me advice on. Always have back up coffee." She said, pulling out a flask, "This should still be warm." She went about pouring two mugs.

Jay sipped on his coffee, before moaning in pleasure. "That's it. You're officially my favourite person. Ever."

"And you say I'm the coffee addict." She grinned, sipping on her own drink. "So, you don't want the chocolate I brought too then?" She asked.

"Burgess you're killing me here. There's chocolate too?"

"I like to enjoy my stakeouts." She shrugged before pulling chocolate from her bag and handing him a slab.

"I'm bringing you on all my stakeouts from now on." He told her.

He was rewarded by one of her smiles.

* * *

"3.36am. Still no movement." Jay said as Kim took pictures of the house just in case.

"The house next door definitely could be a stash house." Kim said.

After the coffee and chocolate rush had dwindled an hour ago, they had started the game to stay awake and alert. Come up with plausible and implausible stories for the area, anything to keep them thinking and not nodding off.

"Yes. The thousand-dollar floral arrangement around the door is what gives it away." He deadpanned.

"Okay, but I bet they don't have kids. Who has time to flower arrange with kids running around?"

"People who hire help. Look at the area we're in." He pointed out.

"Cab rolling up." She said quietly as they sank into their seats, seeing two passengers get out and head into the house three houses down.

"They could be having an affair."

"Yeah she rushed him into the house pretty quick." She agreed.

"If her husband is home, we're going to be dealing with a domestic not our actual case." He mused.

"The suspect might be paying off his neighbours to have affairs and to create diversions for him." Kim said, nearly poking Jay's arm in excitement talking about their suspects.

He rolled his head to the side on the headrest and looked at her with his eyebrows raised, "You need more coffee or something?" He grinned.

She sighed, "Yeah I know. I never said I made much sense when I'm tired."

"Are you a morning person or a night owl?" He asked, mentally adding it to the random things he had learnt about Kim Burgess that night. Along with the fact that hated donuts, loved running, hated that she didn't work directly with Platt anymore and that she loved watching 80s movies.

"Neither? Both? I like sleep." She offered as they both yawned. "I like being up early, getting up before the city wakes up. It's quiet, I like it."

He nodded, "Yeah that's a good time of the day. I like nights, once I'm not alone. I'm not up for staying up late alone. Sleep sounds good right now though." He laughed.

"Gotcha." Kim said with tired glee as she caught the interaction on camera.

"5.27am. Suspect is having confrontation with young woman. About 5ft 6, slim build, blue jacket. He puts her back in the car she arrived in. Driver wearing sunglasses."

They watched as the suspect went back inside.

Jay let out a breath he had been subconsciously holding the entire night, "At least we got something."

"Yeah. We can definitely work with this. We'll run facial recognition when we get back to the precinct." She said. "Productive stakeout." She nodded, pleased with their night.

"Good _night_ too." He smiled at her before he pulled out to drive back to the district building.

* * *

After they got back to the district, had more coffee to get through their debrief, watched as the rest of the team got settled and ready for the day, Jay relaxed into his seat at his desk.

He was only resting his eyes for a few seconds.

"Hey there partner, don't go slacking off on me now." He smiled automatically as Kim's voice appeared at his ear.

"Never." He told her as she placed a picture on the desk in front of him.

"We got a hit on the woman." She told him, giving him a break from the headache inducing job of tracking down car plates on no sleep.

"Yes! I could kiss you right now." He said, thinking the sooner they got this information to the team the sooner they could sign off and go home and get some rest.

"Hey, save the extracurricular activities for out of office hours." Kevin called with a laugh as he set up the evidence board.

Jay scoffed, he hadn't meant it literally. But it was too late, the sudden daydream popped into his head. What it would be like to stand up, place a hand gently at the back of Kim's neck and just…kiss her.

"Oh shut up Kevin." Kim laughed back at her friend, stirring Jay back to reality. Kim was still standing beside him. "This is a start right?"

"Yeah, this is awesome Kim." He reassured her.

"Great. We can pass this over and then I'm going home." She smiled through her yawn and disappeared back to her own desk.

Jay tried to pretend he didn't miss her presence beside him immediately or when he got into his car to go home and the passenger seat was empty.

* * *

**Author's Note: I have no idea what a working week looks like for American police so let's pretend this all makes sense okay? **

**Also Trudy is now my favourite character to write, she's as intrigued as I am now about the new couple. **

**Thanks for reading, have a great day :)**


	4. Sleeping In

**Trudy POV**

"You are still coming over for dinner tomorrow night, right?" Trudy gave Voight her best glare from behind her desk.

"Wouldn't miss it Trudy." After a tough couple of years and with the loss of Olinsky still leaving an aching wound in all their hearts, Trudy liked to keep her friends, her family really, close.

"Good." She nodded, before handing Voight the paperwork he came downstairs to collect.

Voight had just turned to leave but Trudy couldn't let it go, she had to ask.

The rest of the Intelligence Unit had all clocked in an hour ago. But there were two noticeable absences.

"Hank…" She hesitated before he turned back to her, "Are Burgess and Halstead not in yet?"

She would have missed it if she hadn't known Hank Voight for as long as she did, but he glanced towards the doors and gave a twitch of his shoulder. It was bothering him too.

He cared about his unit more than even she did, and that was saying a lot.

"No. Not yet."

She just raised her eyebrows at him.

He tipped his head to the side, catching onto her unspoken explanation, "What are saying Trudy?"

The door of the district opened and Trudy looked over on instinct to catch Kim Burgess bursting in, two cups in his hands.

"Is that spare one for me Burgess?" She barked over at her.

She had barely looked over to the desk before Halstead rushed through the doors.

"…Hey Serge. Eh…afraid not." She said already handing the spare cup to Halstead.

"Morning." Halstead called to the two Sergeants, slightly out of breath before he looked at Kim and they both headed upstairs.

Voight looked at Trudy after the pair were out of earshot.

"_I'm saying_ that they're still in last night's clothes." She clarified.

Trudy watched as Voight's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, "Huh."

Trudy sighed, leaning on her desk. "Just, I think it's serious, so just keep an eye on them okay?"

* * *

**Kim POV**

"Jay?" Kim followed the rest of the team into the 21st District, after a gruelling day and particularly tough case.

"Yeah Kim?" He stopped and turned back to look at her.

She wondered when she had started taking a liking to catching his blue eyes.

Jay held the door open for them.

She took a steadying breath, telling herself to just get it over with.

"The Detective exam." She stated in a rushed breath.

He waited for her to continue but she had been working up the courage to ask him the past few days and hadn't prepared a follow up statement.

"I…it's…" She fumbled with her words but he caught her, not letting her completely embarrass herself.

"Are you thinking of taking it?" He asked, his face softening.

"Yeah." She nodded, before letting out an embarrassingly panicked sigh.

He gazed at her for a split second before nodding, "Yeah that sounds right about how I felt about it at the time too."

"Good it's not just me then." She said, before gathering her courage again, "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you have any pointers? Or could I run a few questions by you some time, maybe?" She didn't want to overstep their current new level of friendship.

She was getting far too comfortable with it.

He just looked at her with an open expression, "I actually still have all my exam prep stuff back at my place if you want it?"

"Really?" She echoed in slight disbelief.

"Yeah of course. Kim, you're great police, you deserve your own detective badge." He shrugged a shoulder like it was the simplest thing in the world.

But it meant the world to her. She had worked _so hard,_ first to get into the academy, then to get on patrol and then to _finally_ make her way to Intelligence. It was nice that someone noticed her work.

"…Thank you." She didn't mean to sound so surprised.

"Are you two moving from my stairs or are you just going to block up the stairwell all night?" Trudy called from her desk without even looking up from the paperwork in front of her.

"Sorry Serge." Jay called back, smiling, before holding the door open for Kim to go up first, his hand ghosting on the small of her back as he closed the gate and followed her. "Tell you what, if you don't have anything to do tonight, you can come by and I run through some stuff if you want?"

"That would be great Jay, seriously, are you sure? I don't want to ruin your night or anything."

He scoffed, "Believe me Burgess, you'd be brightening it. But on the one condition that you bring that chocolate from the stakeout." He grinned, pointing a finger at her.

"You got yourself a deal Halstead." She smiled, bumping her shoulder into his as they made their way into the bullpen and got the rest of the night wrapped up.

She tried to ignore the sparks that seemed to fire under her skin when they touched.

* * *

Kim had never seen Jay Halstead quite like this.

She had seen him as countless different people on undercover operations, from clean cut in a suit to grimy a run down jacket for drug deals.

But there he stood in front of her, in sweatpants and t-shirt and a happy smile on his face.

"Hey Kim, come on in." He let her in the door to his apartment.

He had texted her directions when they both realised she didn't know where he lived. And she made a quick stop off by the store to grab some supplies of chocolate and candy.

She looked around the large room with interest, a kitchen, dining and living room. It was clean and tidy, not that she expected anything else from him. But it felt hollow, and lonely, like her own place.

No defining characteristics expect for his jackets hanging on the back of the door and a few framed pictures on a table beside the sofa.

"Make yourself at home." He said, leading her to the sofa where a box sat beside it. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Yeah, sure."

He went about getting her a beer from the refrigerator and she took the chance to observe what Jay Halstead was like at home.

She liked what she saw.

The ever-present tension in his shoulders that he carried around in work had dissipated. His hair was slightly untidy which just framed his face and somehow made him even more handsome.

He handed her a beer and she took a quick sip, hoping the cold taste would shock her out of thinking such thoughts about him. She couldn't keep that he was handsome, it would just make life awkward.

There was nothing between them. No point letting her thoughts run away with themselves.

"I wish I could say the exam was easy. But I can't." Jay said, taking a seat on the sofa with her. "But I was looking though this and some of it should hopefully be useful." He rummaged in the box in front of him and pulled out some folders.

"Anything would be great." She admitted, "I'm doing my own study but it's nice to get a second opinion."

"I don't mean to overstep." He said, sitting back and throwing an arm along the back of the sofa, "But would you not want to ask Antonio about this? He is your partner and he's more senior than I am." He shrugged.

"I just…" She pulled her legs up under her and settled back too. "He's had so much to deal with, I don't want to add to that. He should be spending time with his family and himself not dealing with me panicking about some exam that pales in comparison to what he has going on."

Jay just listened to her.

It had been so long seen someone had _listened_ to her.

"Plus, I figured you're more fun to hang out with than like Voight so…" She grinned and took a sip of her drink and enjoyed listening to the sound of his laugh.

"Wow you really shouldn't boost my ego so much." He deadpanned. "So, have you been thinking about taking the exam for long?"

The night and the very concept of time slipped away from her while they talked. They talked about everything from seriously discussing their careers to trying to catch their breath when joking about changing the paint colour on the walls in the district _without_ telling Platt. How they meandered through topics, Kim didn't quite know, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

When they finally got to rifling through Jay's notes, after devouring the chocolate and candy she had bought along, he let her bounce questions off him while also regaling exam horror stories he had heard.

The last thing she remembered was trying to memorise the answers to the mock questions that Jay was going to test her on.

* * *

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Jay Halstead.

Which was not a bad sight, _at all_.

But the room was flooded by sunlight.

Kim looked around, her body protesting at the movement from where she had curled up awkwardly on the sofa.

She nearly fell off the sofa in shock, processing the insane fact that they had fallen asleep and she had just spent the night at Jay's place. Her sudden movement caused Jay's eyes to shoot open from the opposite side of the sofa. He glanced around blearily, reaching to remove the open book that had rested on his chest.

"Kim…?"

"Jay, I think we fell asleep." She sat up, rubbing her face.

"I was only going to rest my eyes." He moaned, sitting up too. "Ugh what time is it?" He asked, reaching for his phone while stifling a yawn.

"Time to think that studying late at night is not that productive after all." She laughed lightly, still adjusting to her surroundings.

He stood up quickly. "We're late."

For two people who were just awake, years of police training kicked in and they were more alert in seconds.

Kim tried to tidy the mess they made, but Jay shooed her away.

"Don't worry about it Kim, you go ahead, I need to get changed anyway. I'll meet you are the station?"

"Yeah. Sure." She said, grabbing her own jacket and heading for the door, but not before catching a glimpse of Jay rushing to another room and peeling his t-shirt over his head.

She bit her lip and called goodbye, shutting his door firmly behind her, telling herself to get the image out of her head and focus on the day ahead.

Not to keep focusing on the fact that that wasn't the worst way to wake up and start the day.

As she got a head start and felt terrible about being the reason they were up late and therefore now late for work, she stopped off quickly to get them coffee.

Getting to the station, she grimaced as she clocked the time. She detested being late. And it wasn't like she was working a CI or had a plausible excuse.

Kim took the steps two at a time and ended up bursting through the main doors and being immediately caught by Platt. It shouldn't come as a surprise anymore that the Desk Sergeant knew every movement that happened inside her station. But it was worse when Voight caught her too.

Jay followed in quickly, and looked at her with a serious gaze before they ascended the stairs to Intelligence. "Busted." He said under his breath as he took his coffee with thanks.

"Hey Kim?" Jay said after he had opened the gate and they walked up. "Sorry about letting us fall asleep. This doesn't stop us studying some other time right?"

"No way. You're not getting rid of me that easily Halstead." She smiled, her stomach suddenly doing somersaults, he wanted to see her again.

She got to her desk, setting up for the day and tried to tell herself that it wasn't like that. He just wanted to help her study, but part of her was cheering that he wanted to spend time with her.

She sat down, after catching up on the case of the day, and glanced up just in time to see Jay do the same. Their eyes met across the room and Kim's heart fluttered in her chest.

He smiled at her and she quickly looked back at her computer screen.

This couldn't be happening.

She couldn't be falling for Halstead.

Could she?

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Any thoughts, let me know! I love knowing other people are aboard this ship :) I hope to do it justice!**

**I have no knowledge about the American police system so let's pretend everything about the detective exam makes sense okay?**


	5. Don't want to leave

**Trudy POV**

When the entire Intelligence Unit landed themselves in Gaffney Medical Centre, it was a _very _bad day.

Trudy paced up and down in the waiting room of the Emergency Department, waiting for anybody to tell her that her people were okay.

So maybe she was a bit snappy with the receptionist but, sue her, she was worried.

She looked over to see the doors to the ED open and the ginger Halstead walked through the doors. "Sergeant Platt?"

She swallowed her annoyance, who the hell else did he think she was? "Yes. Yes. What is it? How is everyone?"

He had a goofier smile than his brother, which just grated on her frayed nerves. "Everyone, by all accounts, are fine. Sergeant Voight is dealing with the reports, Jay is in the other waiting room, you can come with me."

Trudy huffed, about time, but her heart rate was finally starting to return to normal for the first time since Voight had rang her.

"_Bad call Trudy, the team is at Med." _

She followed this Halstead into another room where the other Halstead was waiting, hands clasped together, knee bouncing, nervous energy practically bouncing off of him.

"Jay?" She asked, watching as his head snapped up when he heard her voice.

"Serge." He breathed in relief. He then looked questioningly at his brother. "How is everyone?"

"Overall good. Ruzek and Atwater are being discharged as we speak, Dawson and Upton are going through one more preliminary test…"

"And Kim?" Jay cut across him.

Will blinked in surprise at Jay's curt tone. "She inhaled a lot of smoke, so we're keeping her overnight. Voight is contacting her family now. Everyone will be okay Jay." He clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"What the hell happened?" Trudy asked, nerves still battling through her system.

"I was on sniper, we were going to hem the guy into his mansion, nice and quiet." Jay spoke with such pain in his voice that Trudy sat down with him. "Bloody guy had set the place up, set it alight. Knew he was caught. The flames appeared so fast Serge. This was my case. I just wouldn't let it go and I put the entire unit at risk."

Trudy had been keeping tabs on this particular case, the tarnished millionaire that Kim and Jay had finally managed to find a weak spot with that had broken up the case.

"No. We're all in this together Jay. It's nobody's fault. And everyone will be okay." She looked up at the doctor, "_Won't they?" _She practically snarled, practically daring him to say that any of the unit wouldn't be okay.

"Yes. Definitely. Completely." Will nodded quickly.

The rest of the day flew past in a blur.

Helping Hank with the reports, checking in on the rest of the unit, helping them with their discharge papers. Thanking her lucky stars that everyone was rather unscathed, she arranged for them all to get home and rest up. But not before each one called in to check up on Burgess who was in a room for a night on oxygen as a precaution.

Trudy maintained it was one of her biggest fears, seeing one of her own hurting.

The firefighters from 51 came by to check in and Voight and Dawson went back to the 21st District to nail the millionaire for his actions, he had been rescued from the fire too. Finally, they would be able to put the case to rest.

At the end of the day, Trudy was the only one left and she went to get herself some food before heading back to Kim's room. The officer's family wouldn't arrive until the next morning and Trudy couldn't bear to have the Kim left on her own.

But when she got back to Kim's room, she wasn't alone.

Jay Halstead was sitting in the chair beside her bed.

Trudy paused, maybe Kim had everyone she needed beside her already.

* * *

**Jay POV **

Jay flipped through a file on his desk, they were _so_ close to catching the criminal, he could almost feel the cold metal of the handcuffs. But they needed bulletproof evidence before they proceeded.

But Jay knew his team, they'd get there.

He sighed and stretched his arms above his head, looking up. Hailey was talking sternly down her phone, Antonio kept rushing up and down to Ruzek who was trawling through video footage and Kevin and Kim were cross-referencing files at her desk.

"Jay?" Voight's voice jarred him from his thoughts. Pulled his attention from where his eyes seemed to now almost constantly roam until they found Kim. "A word?"

Jay hopped up from his desk, "Sure thing Serge."

He thought it was just something pertaining to the case. Until Voight closed the door behind them.

"Have a seat." Voight said.

Jay immediately went on alert, those words never usually led to anything good.

He took his seat nevertheless and watched as his Sergeant do the same and clench and unclench his jaw as if trying to find the right words.

Jay shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not knowing what was wrong, as Voight leaned back in his chair.

"Look Jay." He sighed, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "I try to not give a damn about your personal lives. Makes my life easier. Makes this job, easier. But…"

He paused, looking tired and vaguely annoyed, "Are you sure? Because the two of you, you both know how wrong these types of things can go. You have to be sure as hell."

"Serge?" Jay was grappling with his words, trying to catch up with what on earth Voight was saying.

Voight pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't care about whatever happens between you all outside as long as it doesn't affect your work. But I need to know about serious relationships, so I know where loyalties lie."

Again, Jay was at a loss, just managing to stare blankly at his Sergeant.

"After everything with Erin…" Voight sounded tired. "And Ruzek..." He practically threw his hands up as if his point was obvious.

Erin.

Ruzek.

Jay nearly choked on his own breath when it clicked into place.

Erin and him. Ruzek and Kim.

Him and Kim. That was the only answer, the only explanation, the only links.

"Serge you've got it all wrong…"

"I don't _want _to know. I just want to know if I _need_ to know?" Voight said, holding his hand up as if trying to keep Jay at a distance.

"No. No there's _nothing _going on between me and Burgess Serge, honestly." He even managed a ghost of a laugh.

His Sergeant sent him a look that he reserved only for suspects who were lying.

But he wasn't lying.

Was he?

They weren't together, that much was true. But was there something going on between them?

With Voight staring him down like this, he wasn't sure.

"I…there's…it…I mean…" Jay tried to formulate his words into something comprehensible while his mind was racing.

Sure, he and Kim had become closer lately but that was possibly the best development in his life in a long time.

Sure, he loved spending time with her, hearing her laugh and the way she could brighten his day.

Sure, he had liked waking up to see her face that one morning, liked that she trusted him and liked just being with her.

Sure, the evidence pointed to _something_. But there was nothing going on.

"Look I've never even thought of Kim like that…" It was uncomfortable, to say the least, discussing his feelings, his personal live, with Voight. Especially when both men knew that Voight's pseudo-daughter had shattered his heart.

So, his statement was a white lie considering he had lately begun to take more notice of Kim. She was beautiful, her the shade of her eyes was quickly becoming his favourite colour and he had started coming up with any excuse to be near her in work.

But that didn't mean he _liked _her. Right?

"I don't need details." Voight held his hand up and Jay was just grateful that his Sergeant was just as uncomfortable as him in this situation. "I just need you two to be careful. Don't hurt each other."

Jay got the message loud and clear. It wasn't just that Voight didn't want complications or conflicts with work, it was that he cared about _them. _His people.

"You got it." Jay nodded in a promise.

With no more to discuss, he quickly escaped the small room that felt like it was closing in on him, only to be met with Kim leaving a note at his desk.

"Got another hit." She said cheerfully, gesturing to the file she had left on his desk. She faltered, eyes roaming over his face. "Everything okay?"

Jay shook his head slightly, feeling shaken, "Yeah it's fine."

"Okay." She said, raising her eyebrows. Jay knew she could read him well; he was _not_ fine. But she wasn't going to push him when he didn't want to open up right away. "We'll catch this jerk soon, don't worry." She said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm before retreating to her desk.

The case was the last thing on his mind.

Her hand on his arm. The simple contact sent shockwaves through his reeling mind.

Kim Burgess.

Or more specifically the idea of _him and Kim_.

As if the case wasn't already a lot to occupy his mind, it was now overcrowded with new thoughts that had nothing to do with work.

* * *

It was one of the longest days of his life.

Watching and not being able to do anything but call for backup, firefighters and ambulances.

The smoke. The sirens.

The guilt weighing on him making it difficult for him to breathe, and he hadn't even been near the fire.

He had never left a sniper spot so quickly, feet moving so fast down the stairwell of the building that his mind automatically went back to combat mode. Current stress flinging memories of traumatic events right back into the forefront of his mind.

Hie entire unit was in danger. The backup that had arrived had to hold him back from running right into the smouldering building.

Kim, Antonio and Hailey looked the worst from what he saw in the chaos as the building was evacuated by the firefighters.

But Voight insisted on everyone getting checked through his own coughs.

The only thing Jay could do was make sure that the backup officers kept a hold on the son-of-a-bitch that had not only committed multiple crimes but put his family's lives at risk.

And then he followed the ambulances to the hospital.

The longest drive of his life.

* * *

Sometimes Jay hated his brother being a doctor.

He could read him too well. He'd know if Will was trying to placate patient's family and friends, he'd know if they weren't okay even if Will tried to pretend that they were.

But when Will finally came to update him, with Trudy in tow, and gave him the run down, Jay could finally breathe easy.

Except that Kim wasn't entirely out of the woods and no amount of reassurance from anyone could make him forget it or ignore it.

The other annoying fact of having Will as a brother was that his brother could read him too well too.

"You _hate _hospitals." Will found him in a hallway as night approached.

"Hey bro, gee I'm fine, how are you doing?" Jay threw back at him, leaning against the cold wall behind him.

Will just sent him a well-rehearsed withering look to Jay's sarcastic remarks, "What the hell are you still doing here? Everyone's gone home, aren't they? Come on I'll give you a ride home."

"Not everyone is gone home." Jay said, his voice suddenly hollow.

Therein lay the problem.

Kim was still in the building and he couldn't bear to leave. Not when he could think of no one else but her since his talk with Voight that morning. So, he had spent the day after the rest of the team had left, just wandering the halls of Med.

"Oh yeah Kim Burgess is staying the night, right?" Will asked, shrugging his jacket on to leave. But with no reply from his brother, he let the silence linger before raising his eyebrows, "_Kim's still here, so you're still here?" _

Jay shifted uncomfortably, he wasn't sure of the answer and that was his problem.

"No. Yeah. I don't know." He offered and his brother just nodded.

"Well she's probably on the second floor if you want to see her." Will just clapped Jay on the back and left him to his thoughts. Will was smart, he knew Jay liked his space with these things.

But he had had space. All day.

And yes, he had always admired Kim as a colleague.

And yes, he had appreciated her as a friend.

And _yes, _more and more lately he had been thinking far too much about Kim Burgess as something other than a friend or colleague.

But Voight's words echoed around his head. _"I just need you two to be careful"_

Jay had been hurt before; hell Kim had been hurt just as badly before too. And he wanted to be sure that he wanted something with her before he acted on it.

But he also just wanted to see her right now.

So, with his head full of thoughts and his body tired from the day, Jay made his way to the hospital shop and café to pick up somethings for Kim and went about finding her room.

The nurse on duty at the desk gave him directions after he had told her he was her partner. It wasn't technically a lie, sometimes Voight partnered them up.

But Jay paused outside her door.

The smell of cleaning products and the sterile environment burned his nose. The noise of the various machines burrowed into his eardrums enough to start giving him a headache. He was scared, terrified, that Kim wouldn't be okay when he opened the door.

Swallowing all the fear that stemmed from the time his Mom had spent in hospital, Jay pushed on.

Now he felt like he needed to see for himself that Kim would be okay.

Kim stirred at the sound of his footsteps. Her eyes opened and his heart nearly stopped.

Relief flooded through his body once he got to see her eyes.

"Hey stranger." She whispered through her hoarse throat, the sides of her mouth turning upward in an attempt at a smile.

"Hey Kim." He said in a soft tone.

The sight of her in a hospital bed stopped him in his tracks but he pushed through. "How are you?"

He cursed himself, what a stupid question.

"Oh I'm great, best day ever." She perked up enough to try to laugh, sounding amused.

She could read him.

And right now, he must look like a wide eyed deer terrified and ready to bolt. Will was right, he hated hospitals.

And there _Kim_ was, trying to reassure _him._

He smiled softly before holding up the brown paper bag in his hand, "I picked up some things for you." It was filled with the usual things his Dad had used to tell them to bring his Mom, a newspaper for keeping in contact with the outside world, a cheesy magazine for entertainment and sweets to offset the bland hospital food.

"Oh, thank you Jay." She said, her thoat was still hoarse.

"And I got you some iced-decaf-coffee. I checked, you're allowed to drink it, I figured you couldn't go without your coffee fix." He smiled as he placed the bag at the small cabinet beside her bed that already held a bouquet of flowers from the 21st District and took the drink out of the bag and placed it on top.

Her face brightened up, "You got me…" She started coughing, startling Jay, before lying back against her pillows and taking a few deep breaths and trying again. "You got me coffee. That's…thank you."

"No problem." He hesitated, he didn't want to overstep but he didn't want to leave her alone either. "Mind if I sit?" He gestured to the chair beside her bed.

"Oh no, I mean please, yeah sit." Kim whispered, turning her head to be able to look at him. "I'm tired because of the medications so I might not be great company for now. But they I should be fine to go home tomorrow."

His heart calmed down for the first time since the alarms went off.

She would be okay.

Because for a few non-mentionable minutes the thoughts had popped into his head earlier that day. What if she wouldn't be okay? What if he lost her? What if she wouldn't be in his life anymore?

"I'm really glad to hear that Kim." He said, sitting down. "Oh, I don't know if anyone told you, we got the guy, he'll be going to trial."

"Great. I'd high five you but…" She gestured to her hands that had IV's hooked up to them.

Her eyes had already started to droop but he didn't want to talk about work. He wanted to know more about her. What was her favourite childhood memory, what her favourite color was, what made her tick.

He smiled to himself as she mumbled about resting her eyes.

And Jay started to feel the fear creep into his mind again. But not of the hospital.

He felt scared of the fact that Voight was right, that he could very possibly be falling for Kim Burgess.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Thanks for reading! This chapter got a bit long and winding on me (somehow Fire and Med characters showed up as well so I went with it), but I hope you enjoyed it. :)_

_Next chapter is the last chapter, so see you then. And with everything going on in the world, stay safe everyone. x_


	6. Finally

**A/N: **_I know nothing about policing or areas in Chicago and any specific details are entirely made up._

* * *

**Kim POV**

Kim Burgess had two pressing problems in her life at that moment.

One, as she fixed her hair and straightened her already immaculate full blues uniform in her hallway mirror, was that she could possibly be late for her Detective Promotional Ceremony.

The second, was that she was falling in love with Jay Halstead, had been actively avoiding him all week long and would have to face him at said Detective Promotional Ceremony.

She huffed at herself in her empty apartment, before rushing out the door when Kevin text her to see if she at the venue yet.

She was the only one of their little group of three officers to go ahead and take the exam this time around and she had passed the week previously. She had stuck her results and official letter of registration to her refrigerator, all it took now was getting her badge today.

Kim shut off her phone as she got into her car and headed off, ignoring the missed calls and unread texts from Jay.

She tried to focus on happier, certain, things. Like the fact that Nicole and Zoe had flown in the previous week for moral support and hung around as a mini-family holiday and would be at the ceremony.

Having her sister and niece in town for a _good_ reason was the best feeling in the world.

It also meant that she had a brilliant excuse to take week off from work and avoid a certain handsome Detective.

Effective? Maybe.

Childish? Absolutely.

She just didn't know how to face him with these newfound feelings and the fact that she had nearly tried to hit on him in Molly's after her results had been released and he hadn't responded.

Or, they had been way too far into each other's personal space outside Molly's front door, the celebratory drinks were still coursing through her veins and she may have put a hand on his chest and told him _he was the best person in her life_.

And he just looked at her with this unreadable expression until the door was burst open by other patrons of the bar.

But could anyone blame her? He was heartbreakingly handsome, had a great heart and then he had gone and stayed with her all night in the hospital until Nicole had arrived. When leaving her hospital room, he might as well have taken her heart with him.

And so, Kim had hidden her head in the sand and hoped that it would be forgotten and that she hadn't just gone and ruined their friendship.

She arrived with time to spare and put her gloves and hat on as she crossed the road and made her way into the venue.

Her heart swelled at the sight that met her in the hallway.

Her entire unit in their dress blues.

She had remained adamant that they didn't need to attend, it was just a badge to add to her uniform. But Voight had cornered her after her hundredth brush off about the ceremony and told him, in his way, that they were a family and they were going to be there for her.

She beamed at them all. They had all been through so much together, it was nice to have a good occasion to be in their dress blues. She felt the familiar ache when she found herself looking for Al. But he was always with her, with the unit.

"There she is." Kevin called, spotting her first.

"Hey Kev, get it right, we have to bow to her now, we're only lowly officers. She's a Detective now." Adam teased, following Kevin's lead and giving her a hug. "Congrats Kim, you deserve this." He whispered just for her to hear.

She smiled to herself, breathing his familiar scent in. They may not have worked out, but she would always love Adam Ruzek.

"Yeah well us female Detectives will take over next, right Serge?" Hailey beamed, taking her place next in line to give Kim a hug and calling out to Trudy who was with the group.

"Too right." Trudy said, giving Kim one of her rare brief hugs. "Proud of you Burgess."

Antonio was next to congratulate her again, "Well done Kim, ugh I feel like a proud big brother." He said smiled as he hugged her.

"You guys stop, you're going to make me cry and ruin my makeup and the pictures." Kim laughed, sending them all a bright smile.

She didn't mean to, she really didn't mean to, but her gaze fell on Jay's figure in the group.

How could it not, with him looking illegally handsome in his blues, with eyes seemingly only for her. He went to say something but was interrupted by Zoe calling her.

"Auntie Kim! There you are!" Zoe dragged her Mom down the hallway to the group.

"Hey you two. How's it going?" Kim greeted her niece and sister with a hug.

"We got the best seats in the house Auntie Kim." Zoe beamed, practically bouncing on her feet

"Because we were the first people let into the building this morning. I'm still half asleep." Nicole explained with a grin. "Oh hey, you all look amazing, do you want me to take a picture before the ceremony?"

Kim had never met anyone as strong as Nicole but Kim's admiration only grew when her sister somehow managed to corral both Voight _and_ Platt in and out of various pictures for the next ten minutes.

"C'mon Kim, move in closer, you'd think you don't even know each other." Nicole called as she snapped pictures on her phone while Kim stood apart from Jay.

Kim pleaded with only an expression that her sister could interrupt.

_I like this guy, can you not make it so obvious?_

She hadn't used it since highschool when she had tried to flirt with her childhood crush and Nicole had interrupted her. Her sister just raised an eyebrow in response but it was too late.

Kim tried to laugh the comments off and they moved closer together, until Jay could slip an arm loosely around her waist. She tried not to jump at the contact. She quickly cast a glance at him to see him feigning a smile as strained as her own.

So, he hadn't forgotten about the other night. Great.

"Great! Got it! Oops think it's time to move." Nicole said as the ushers started calling for the audience to move into the main room.

"Listen Kim," Jay removed his arm from her waist, but let his hand catch hers briefly. "I…"

But whatever he was going to say got cut off by everyone gathered in the hallway moving on mass.

"Yeah?" She asked, finally gathering her courage to look him in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Nothing," He shook his head. "Hey, congratulations." He followed the unit and she was moved to a line of other newly minted Detectives as everyone else gathered in their seats.

The ceremony itself passed in a blur of speeches and her trying not to look in Jay's direction in the crowd, until it was time for her to take the stage.

_Detective Kim Burgess_ had never sounded so good.

She looked out into the crowd to see that Kevin and Adam had somehow hoisted Zoe up with her sign waving above her head with the words "Go Auntie Kim" draw in an assortment of glitter. The sight of the rest of her unit, _her family_, made tears gather in her eyes again as she tried to frame the scene in her mind.

There was a banquet of refreshments laid out afterwards and they all gathered again. Voight and Trudy were deep in conversation, Hailey and Antonio had spotted some old colleagues and Kevin and Adam were keeping Nicole and Zoe entertained. That was when Jay found her.

"Hey." He gave her a small smile. "Eh…that badge suits you." He pointed to the shining piece now attached to her uniform.

"Oh, thanks. Thanks." She replied and bit her tongue from throwing anymore awkward filler words at the man.

"Listen Kim, I wanted to…" He started but paused, "Voight told me something, a couple weeks back. That you and I had both been burnt before…with 'in-house' relationships. And I," He took a breath but she was already holding hers. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to mess up our work lives."

Kim wanted the ground to swallow her up. She had ruined everything. And he was trying to let her down gently.

"_All units be advised there is reports of multiple gunshots fired at police and pedestrians. 4__th__ and Chesterfield." _

Their radios seemed to boom around the hall. Two blocks over.

Her unit were already on the way out the door before Kim could find herself after nearly getting lost in Jay's eyes. She shook herself; it was already time to put her new badge to work. Jay shook his head slightly as an apology for having to leave.

"Serge, I'll come too." Kim followed Jay to where Voight was the last one of them leaving the room after barking out orders.

Voight hesitated for a split second, before appearing to accept her offer. "Everyone else is gone, you ride with Halstead. We'll meet you there."

Kim looked back to wave quickly to Zoe and Nicole before she followed Halstead's movements, running as fast as their legs would carry them to his car parked down the road.

They didn't talk as they ran, Kim didn't think she could form coherent words right now anyway, and they slipped into his car. Jay turned on the lights and Kim responded over the radio.

It was when they pulled off that Kim relaxed for a few seconds, it was nice, comforting, to be back in Jay's car, just the two of them.

With Jay concentrating on speeding through the city streets, Kim decided to be the one to bite the proverbial bullet, "Look. I get it. I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"Overstepped?"

"Last week. We're colleagues and I shouldn't have made any assumptions so…"

"Kim, I think of you as a lot more than a work colleague."

"Yeah." She shook her head, "I mean yeah we're good friends." Kim finally risked a glance over at him.

Jay seemed to sigh, taking his focus off the road long enough to meet her eye.

They happened upon the scene too quickly for anymore to be said. It was chaos. Cars, people, everywhere, moving, shouting..

She dived out of her door and rounded the car to Jay.

"You good?" He asked, gun drawn as she placed a hand on his shoulder and drew her own gun.

"Good. Let's move." She responded.

It was different, being partnered with Jay. After weeks of, well falling in love with him, and seeing all the sides of the guy she had worked with for six years, she could nearly tell what he was going to do before he did it.

They moved quickly and efficiently, clearing the area around them before proceeding toward the building where their unit had already breached.

"Third floor clear." Hailey's voice came over the radio.

"We got the fourth floor." Kim responded as she and Jay climbed the stairs. When they got to the floor, he moved to the far side of the door. They both strained for any noise on the other side and he looked at her with eyebrows raised.

She bit back a smile. He was giving her the go ahead to lead them, after all she was a Detective now too. It was nice to know that he trusted her as much as she trusted him.

"Move in." She nodded.

He silently shouldered the door open and they moved into the hallway, clinging to the wall as they checked all the offices along the way.

A clattering sound further on made Kim's blood run cold.

They had, unfortunately, been in this situation to many times before and proceeded just like always.

Kim lined herself up and Jay kicked the door in, she entered with speed and precision, clearing the area in front of her before locating the source of the noise.

A woman with a gunshot wound. Kim ducked to the woman, who was in and out of consciousness, as Jay cleared the rest of the room.

"Sole suspect in custody." Voight's voice came through their radios and they both sighed in relief. Kim was already putting pressure on the wound as Jay shouted down his radio for an ambulance. They both kept up their first aid, until the paramedics arrived.

"Everyone good?" Platt asked, as the unit regrouped with the rest of patrol gathered out front.

Kim's heart was hammering like it always did with these situations. The blood stain on Jay's shirt matched the ones on her sleeves.

"Okay, everyone back to the District, we're going to have to write up our reports." Voight said. He paused when he's eyes landed on Kim. "Burgess if you…"

"No Serge, it's all good. I'll meet up with my family later, they'll understand. I got more pressing family business to attend to."

* * *

How she and Jay ended up being the last two in the Bullpen, Kim didn't understand.

The ended up being the last ones in the office. Kevin and Adam and found paperwork she had never seen before, but needed a Detective signature and she couldn't turn it down, not on her first day.

The team left one by one, wishing Kim a good day and telling her they'd see her tomorrow. Her big day had taken a hit, but Nicole and Zoe would be ordering her favourite takeout when she got home.

So, until she finished the apparent mountain of paperwork, she was stuck with Jay. Alone.

Voight had had to leave suddenly for some undisclosed reason after Platt had called him, not before Platt had left new case files on Jay's desk too.

The worst part of the entire thing?

She couldn't look at him. She couldn't concentrate on her work, but she couldn't look up from it either and risk meeting his eyes..

The dreadful silence ended not fifteen minutes later when she heard Jay's chair move and his footsteps echoed across the floor.

"Hey Kim?"

She hesitated before lifting her head to meet his gaze, "Yeah?"

He was standing halfway between their desks. "What I said earlier…"

"No." She stood up, "No you don't have to explain anything. It's fine. Honestly. We're just…we're cool right? Friends." She hurled her words at him, trying to ease over any tension that stood between them.

He seemed to breathe slowly, "Yeah definitely, we're cool."

"Good. Great." She faked a smile.

"Yeah but…"

"But?"

"Kim, I just gotta come out and say it here." He shrugged. "I _like _you. I really _like_ you. And I was hoping that I didn't read last week all wrong, I guess I was hoping you liked me too?"

To say that she was dumbstruck would be an understatement.

Kim nearly had to pinch herself as they both stood as still as statues.

"I…I…" she couldn't form words, all she could do was smile at him.

Jay. This was _Jay_.

And he liked her back.

She suddenly felt like a lovestruck shy preteen.

"It happened all kind of slowly and then quickly." He admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I just, you're beautiful and I can't concentrate when you walk past my desk." He laughed, "I love hearing about you and your day and your life. But I know we work together. And Voight's right, we have to be careful. And the last thing I want to do is hurt you Kim. But do you think you'd want to give it a shot?"

She could have swooned at the longing look he was sending her way.

"Yeah…I…yes. Yes, I would."

"Really?" He gave her the sweetest half-smile as if he was scared to believe her.

"I don't get any work done anymore with you sitting there right in my eyeline." She admitted with a laugh of her own. "You brought me coffee I could drink in the hospital for crying out loud."

It wasn't as terrifying as she thought it could be. Fully admitting her feelings, her thoughts.

This was Jay, she trusted him implicitly, even more so after their past few weeks together.

"Well we could grab coffee _outside work _then sometime?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Okay then." He didn't bother to try and hide his smile.

"Okay." She grinned.

"We should probably finish up this paperwork. Oh and Kevin text me like ten minutes ago, the unit is planning a surprise party at your place, your sister's idea, so I've to bring you there after we're finished."

"Oh that's so sweet." She replied as he went back to his seat. "That's where those two got their _paperwork_ then huh?" She laughed looking down at her desk, she couldn't believe she had bought their weak cover.

"Think so" He grinned. "Sergeant Platt must be in on it, she landed me with all of this, I do not understand any of it."

"Sorry, you got the short end of the stick, having to stay here."

He looked up at her, "Nah, I'm good. I got lucky."

"How long do you think we have to give them to set up?" She asked.

Jay checked his phone. "Kev said to give them half an hour. We could probably head off soon."

Kim nodded, filing away all the fake paperwork into a folder, and quickly checking the actual case report was okay. Kim went to move to the hallway, to put the case files in the cabinets when she heard Jay move again.

"Hey _Detective_?" He asked.

"Yeah?" She asked, turning back to him.

He didn't respond, he just met her halfway with a smile and placed a hand delicately at the back of her neck, taking her breath away. But he didn't move any further, not unless she wanted him to.

So she reached up and put her hand on his shoulder to pull him closer.

His lips were on hers before she could smile again. In a kiss that was somehow perfectly both sweet and intense and the answer to the dreams she never knew she had.

"I say we just skip the party." She suggested as they pulled apart but not before linking their hands.

She could nearly feel the rumble of the laugh in his chest more than hear it. "I would love that but your sister scares me, did you see how she ordered Platt and Voight around, I'd rather stay on her good side. But we can get that coffee soon right?"

"Yes please." She nodded, reaching up to kiss him again.

Except that someone cleared their throat. And it wasn't her or Jay.

Trudy had let herself up the stairs, Kim didn't even know she was still in the building.

Was Trudy fighting a smile?

"If you two lovebirds want to get a move on, we have a party to get Kim to." She said in her usual stern voice.

"Sure thing, Serge." Jay replied.

After Trudy left with another stern look sent in their direction, all Kim could do was rest her head on Jay's chest and let out a nervous laugh.

Of course, Sergeant Platt would be the first person to find out about her new romance.

Kim swore that nothing could happen in District 21 without Trudy knowing about it.

-End-

* * *

**Bonus: Trudy POV**

"What do you mean they're _not_ together?" Trudy all but barked and watched as the usually unwavering Hank Voight flinch slightly at her tone.

"Halstead seemed pretty adamant about it, Trudy." He shrugged.

But that didn't make sense. Trudy _knew_. This wasn't some fling.

She knew from the way they would look at each other. But why deny it?

"He stayed with her all night in the hospital for crying out loud." She argued and Hank looked around the crowded room, checking no one was eavesdropping.

Unfortunately, Kim's Promotional Ceremony was the only time she could get Hank alone to discuss something he would describe as frivolous.

"That's ridiculous." She continued, she thought it would only be a matter of time before they announced their relationship themselves.

Hank shrugged, "I'm just passing on the message."

Trudy looked around, noticing Nicole in the crowd. Or perhaps more importantly, noticing what Nicole was looking at.

Jay and Kim talking. And they could not look more awkward.

Trudy's mind raced, what if they had run into trouble already?

Trudy made a beeline for Nicole.

"Nicole? Hi." She said.

"Hi Sergeant Platt."

She usually wouldn't be so forward, but she couldn't take it anymore.

She was about to ask about what Nicole knew about her sister and Detective Halstead when everyone's radio went off. Duty called.

It wasn't until afterwards at the District that the idea sprung into Trudy's head.

She could kill two birds with one stone.

She could Kim time alone with Jay _and_ organise a party to celebrate her promotion after her day got interrupted by the call.

"Nicole, hi, I hope you don't mind me getting your number. Look about Kim's promotion, do you mind if I send the unit over to you, Kim deserves something nice after that call…"

A simple phone call and the plans had been set in motion.

Trudy hadn't been sent undercover in years, but she enjoyed getting to relive the buzz. She managed to corral the rest of the unit to head over to Kim's place to organise food and drink and set up the surprise without Kim knowing. She even cornered Atwater to give Kim files to work on to buy them some time. Once she got the others cleared, she had to go up herself and practically drag Hank by the ear out of the office, not before giving Jay a reason to stay too.

Trudy nearly felt sorry for the new recruit who kept interrupting her diligent time watching and who kept getting curt answers off her. But she was too preoccupied wondering how long would be long enough to leave them up there for together for them to fix things.

She had got quite attached to the idea of them together.

All she wanted was for them to be happy. And she just _knew_ that they would be so happy together.

She nearly knocked the recruit out of the way as she pushed past after twenty minutes to go see how things were progressing upstairs.

When she couldn't hear any arguing, she let herself through the gate and further up the stairs.

She found them making out right there in the middle of the bullpen which was better than arguing. But she had to clear her throat and pretend she wasn't happy with the sight in front of her.

The smiles on their faces let her know she wouldn't have to stage anymore investigations or interventions.

Things could go back to running smoothly in the 21st District.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I can't thank you all enough for reading this story, I was afraid everyone would hate a Burstead story so I'm overwhelmed by the positivity!_

_I had only planned this as a five chapter story with a one chapter resolution so apologies if it's a bit rushed. _

_I hope you all enjoyed the finale of this and if anyone wants to jump on this rarepair ship with me, I would love it! All welcome aboard! :)_

_Stay safe everyone._


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